Search PubChem vs Molecule Lab
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Search PubChem
Access and manage chemical compound data from the PubChem database. Search for over 111 million compounds, view molecular formulas, weights, and structures, and create and track custom solutions with detailed composition information.
- Search PubChem database
- View molecular formula, weight, and structure
- Store compound information
- Create and manage custom solutions
- Track solution composition in grams and moles
- Display 3D compound structures
- Share solution data via CSV
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The app allows to search compounds through PubChem and helps to keep information on solutions made of those compounds. I. Compounds Tab Search the open chemistry database 'PubChem' at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for chemical compounds. The app helps to find a compound by name from the collection of more than 111 million compounds. It downloads and stores the molecular formula, weight, and structure. Compounds 1. Selecting the "Compounds" tab will present a list of compounds. - If there are any solutions made of a compound, a droplet will appear next to the compound's name. 2. When a compound is selected, a view with the detailed information will appear. Follow the instruction in "Details for a compound". 3. When the "+" button is selected, a view for search will appear. Follow the instruction in "Search for a compound". Details for a compound 1. Click "Compounds" to return back to the table of compounds. 2. Click the magnifier icon to open the compound's PubChem page in the user's default web browser. 3. Click the trashcan icon to delete the compound. This function may not be available if there is a solution made of the compound. 4. Click one of the solutions made of the compound to display the information. See "Details for a solution" below. 5. Click "3D" to display a 3D structure. Use pan and pinch gestures to rotate and zoom the scene. Search for a compound 1. Select "Compound Name" ("CID") and type a compound name (PubChem CID). 2. Click "Search" to connect to PubChem. An activity indicator will appear until the search is finished. - If the search succeeds, the downloaded information will appear. - If the search fails, an alert will appear. 3. Click "Save" to store the information about a compound. 4. Click "Cancel" to dismiss the scene. II. Solutions Tab Choose compounds downloaded from PubChem and make a solution. The app allows to record a list of compounds with amounts dissolved in a solution. For the saved solutions, the app displays their compositions in gram and mol. Solutions 1. Selecting the "Solutions" tab will present a list of solutions. 2. When a solution is selected, a view with the detailed information will appear. Follow the instruction in "Details for a solution". 3. When the "+" button is selected, a view for search will appear. Follow the instruction in "Making a solution". Details for a solution 1. Click "Solutions" to return back to the table of compounds. 2. Click the 'action' icon to share a csv file containig the information about the solution. 3. Click the trashcan icon to delete the solution. 5. Choose the unit among gram, mg, mol, and mM. 6. Select one of compounds to display its structure and formula. See "Mini details for a compound" below. Making a solution 1. Click "Add Compounds" to bring a collection of compounds. See "Compounds collection" below. 2. The names of the compounds selected from "Compounds collection" will be displayed as “Solution Label”. A user can edit “Solution Label”. 3. The unit for the amount can be chosen among gram, mg, mol, and mM. 4. The amount may be entered. 5. Click "Save" to create and add a new solution. 6. Click "Cancel" to dismiss the scene. Compounds collection 1. Select or deselect compounds by clicking the images of compounds. 2. Selected compounds will be displayed. 3. Click "Done" to return back to "Making a solution". 5. Click "Cancel" to dismiss the scene.
Molecule Lab
Create and view 3D molecular models with an intuitive editor. Supports various elements, bond types, and conformations, with undo/redo functionality. Share your creations easily via messaging and email.
- Build molecules in 3D
- Supports oxygen, nitrogen, chlorine, carbon, hydrogen
- Double and triple bond creation
- Branching and rotation conformations
- Undo, redo, and delete controls
- Save and edit molecules
- Share via text, email, and other services
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Molecule Lab is a simple yet powerful editor allowing users to build and visualize molecules in 3D. Our molecule editor can build more molecules than before, as it now supports three new elements—oxygen, nitrogen, and chlorine—in addition to carbon and hydrogen, double bonds, triple bonds, branches, and different rotation conformations. These incredible new features are enhanced by the flexibility of our molecule editor, which we further upgraded with undo, redo, and delete controls. Molecules can be saved and edited in the future. Additionally, we introduced the capability to share molecules via text message, email, and other third-party services for notetaking and document sharing. This seamless integration with different apps makes Molecule Lab more powerful for sharing and referencing molecules in the future. With all these exciting features, we are thrilled to debut a new look and feel for Molecule Lab. We hope the beautiful modern design will enrich each user’s experience with Molecule Lab.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Search PubChem at 5.0 against Molecule Lab's 4.3. Search PubChem also leads on review sentiment (75% vs 50%) and update cadence (every 9 months vs every 24 months). Molecule Lab's advantage is ratings volume (25 vs 5) and iOS requirement (13.2 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Search PubChem holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Molecule Lab has 25 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Search PubChem's written reviews are positive against 50% of Molecule Lab's.
Search PubChem ships an update every 9 months, Molecule Lab every 24 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Search PubChem | Molecule Lab |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (5 ratings) — better | 4.3 (25 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 5 | 25 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months — better | Every 24 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 13.2 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jae-Seung Lee | Maxamix |
Customer experience
Search PubChem
Molecule Lab
In-app purchases
Search PubChem
No in-app purchases
Molecule Lab
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Search PubChem free?
Is Molecule Lab free?
Which has better reviews, Search PubChem or Molecule Lab?
Do Search PubChem or Molecule Lab have ads?
Which is updated more often, Search PubChem or Molecule Lab?
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